The present disclosure relates generally to providing help information associated with operating a mobile computing device, specifically to providing help information for a mobile computing device on another computing device paired with the mobile computing device and for allowing remote control and configuration of application programs on the mobile computing device.
As computing devices become more complex, more users are relying on various sources of help information to properly operate the computing devices. One way of providing help information for operating the computing devices is manuals in the form of paper documents. The paper manuals are advantageous in that the user may conveniently access the help information without interrupting the operation of the computing device. It is, however, difficult to search and find the necessary help information in paper manuals. Further, the paper manuals are bulky and difficult to carry around.
Another way of providing the help information for operating the computing devices is on-device helper systems. The on-device helper systems are programs executable on the computing device to search, locate and display the help information as requested by the user. The on-device helper systems have the advantage that the help information is always available on the computing device. The on-device helper systems, however, must display the help information on the same display module of the computing device. Because the screen is occupied by the help windows or help menus of the on-device helper systems, the user must switch between the on-device helper systems and the application program several times before properly operating the application program. Therefore, the display of the help information interrupts the user from using the application program. The on-device helper systems are especially problematic in mobile computing devices because the mobile computing devices generally have small screen sizes. Therefore, only a limited amount of help information can be displayed on the mobile computing device, and the user often has to scroll the screens or open new windows to obtain all of the necessary help information.
Some computing devices or application programs provide contextual helper system. The contextual helper system refers to a mechanism that allows the user to retrieve the help information of an application program by selecting a help icon or pull-down menu from a window or a screen associated with the application program. The contextual helper system obviates the step of searching and finding the correct help information because the relevant help information is identified from the window or screen currently being displayed on the computing device. The contextual helper system, however, tends to be less comprehensive. The contextual help information also has the same disadvantage as the on-device helper systems: that is, the help windows or help menus occupy the screen of the computing device, and interrupts the user from operating the application program.
Another way of providing the help information is using a web helper system. The web helper system generally employs a browser to search and retrieve help information from a remote server. The web helper system is advantageous in that its help information is generally up to date and is comprehensive. The web helper system, however, requires online access to obtain the help information. The web helper system also has the same disadvantage as the on-device helper systems and the contextual helper system: the browser occupies the screen, and interrupts the user from operating the application program.
Therefore, among other deficiencies, the present art lacks helper system providing contextual help information related to a mobile computing device to the user without interrupting the user's operation of the application program running on the mobile computing device.